Instrumental and Vocal Teaching Programme, staff biographies

Instrumental and Vocal Teaching Programme, staff biographies
Ritchie Palczewski - guitar teacher
The ability to play the acoustic, electric and classical guitar,
composing, arranging, gaining self-confidence, dealing with stage
fright, developing teamwork in the studio and on the stage. These
are all the valuable things you can learn with me. My knowledge
comes from 20 years of music experience in the studio and on
stage.
I have been working as a peripatetic music teacher at The British
School, Warsaw since 2005. I specialize in teaching guitar to
children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 18. In 2004, I
received a Master’s degree in Philosophy at the Jagellonian
University and I completed additional pedagogical studies, which
provided me the skills to work with children and teenagers. Besides
teaching the guitar, I also teach philosophy in middle school and
high school.Visit me on: www.facebook.com/ritchie.palczewski
Keep rockin‘ ;)
Ritchie Palczewski
Karina Gorka - piano teacher
Karina Gorka has been playing the piano since the age of 7. She
spent 12 years in ZPOSM im. G.Bacewicz no.3 in Warsaw before
attending the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
Karina studied the piano under the guidance of prof. J.Romaniuk
and prof.E. Wolanin.
Karina has a passion for chamber music and was a student of prof.
K. Borzykowska – Jankowska. She is still an active pianist and
soloist. She has played as a member of the orchestra with Polish
Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra and twice won the 1st price in IV and
V “Spotkania Kamerlne w Sochaczewie” in duo with clarnettist P.Zawadzki. Karina is also interested
in playing with double bass and has preformed with the most popular polish contrabassists,
D.Mizera (the 1st double bassist in Opera in Zurich),
Karina has been teaching music for several years. She has worked with a variety of age groups
ranging from 5 to 30 years old. She currently works at a primary school in Warsaw. Karina
recognizes that students learn differently and tailors her methods depending on the student’s needs.
She also employs the use of a new method “The color notes” – which is an alternative way to learn
notes, especially for the beginners.
Roberto Cura - piano teacher
Roberto Cura has been playing the piano since the age of 11. As an
ex-student of The British School, he passed both GCSE and IB Music.
Roberto is currently a student at Warsaw Politechnica, and although
classically trained with a particular love of Chopin, Roberto is an
accomplished jazz pianist. As a result he can teach in a variety of styles.
Roberto is keen to pass on his love of piano playing to others.
Robert Zelazko - trombone teacher
Robert began playing the trombone at the age of 15. He studied at the
Fryderic Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw and later at the Hochschule fur Music und Theater in Hannover (Grermany).
He won the third Prize at the National Trombone Festival Competition in Warsaw (2003,2006), he was in the finale of Smith/Shires
Prize Tenor Trombone Competition ITA in Las Vegas (2007) and
won the first Prize of the Remington Trombone Choir Competition
in Birmingham with Trombone Class of Musikhochschule Hannover
(2006).
Robert loves to play jazz and Latin music and has performed with numerous bands, including El
Jazz Big Band, Jazz Point Big Band, Calle Sol, School Master Big Band, Trifonidis Free Orchestra.
Currently Robert is a lecturer at the Music Academy in Łódź and does freelance work with Sinfonia
Varsovia and Orchestra of National Opera in Warsaw. He also performs chamber music with the
Royal Brass Quintet, Trombone Quartet and Combo Duo with trumpeter Jan Harasimowicz.
Piotr Zawadzki - clarinet teacher
Piotr has been playing the clarinet for 15 years and he is eager to install the same passion for music to his students. He
graduated from ZPOSM im. G.Bacewicz no.3 in Warsaw with
diplomas in both clarinet and piano. He went on to study at
the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and Music Conservatory of Nice
(France). He has also worked with prominent professors from
around the world during summer courses.
He now performs as a soloist, for the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra and teach at several
schools. Piotr am particularly fond of playing in chamber groups (duos, trios). In private, he loves
listening to jazz and contemporary classical music, learning new languages and reading shelves of
books.
Antonina Golachowska - oboe teacher
Antonina Golachowska is a student at the Frederic Chopin
University of Music in Warsaw. She graduated from the Grazyna Bacewicz Music School in 2011 and has played the oboe
for eight years. She is also an
experienced piano player. Antonina currently works with
several orchestras and ensembles including ‘The Witold Lutosławski Płock Symphony Orchestra’ and ‘The Band of the
Folk Song and Dance Ensemble of Warsaw University’. Playing the oboe is Anotonina’s passion and she cannot imagine
life without her instrument. She hopes to encourage children to play the oboe and teach
them how to create amazing music on this instrument.
Filip Rakowski - drum teacher
Filip Rakowski is a drummer, educator, composer, arranger and lyricist. Filip graduated from music schools with
diplomas certifying his thorough education in the piano
and the classical drums classes. So far Filip has recorded
and published two solo albums. His debut album titled
“Autorytet” (released by Bertelsmann Music Group in year
2000) containing the hit single “Przesilenie” was nominated for Fryderyk 2000. His playing can be heard on over
thirty albums of various Polish artists. During his artistic
adventures Filip has cooperated as a session musician with
major Polish artists such as Maryla Rodowicz, Kasia Kowalska, Natalia Kukulska, Wojtek Pilichowski, Urszula Dudziak, Reni Jusis, Kaja Paschalska, Sidney Polak, Krzysztof
“K.A.S.A.” Kasowski, Halina Mlynkowa, Kuba & Maciek Molęda, Paweł Mykietyn or Super Girl &
Romantic Boys. He has also been involved in a number of advertising campaigns for some of the
Jan Harasimowicz - trumpet teacher
Jan began playing the trumpet at the age of ten. He soon
decided to dedicate his life to music and trumpet. After
graduating from secondary school, Jan moved to United
Kingdom where he studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire. During
his studies, Jan worked with numerous orchestras and ensembles
from the West Midlands, such as City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra and Royal Shakespeare Company. After graduating in 2007
from Birmingham Conservatoire , Jan moved to Warsaw where he
finished his Master Degree and began
working with a number of major Polish orchestras as well as started
his teaching career. In 2010 Jan became a soloist of the Sinfonia
Varsovia Orchestra. Teaching and working with
children gives him satisfaction and pleasure.
Grażyna Mażys - Jankowska - cello teacher
Grażyna is a graduate of cello at the Music Academy in Warsaw. She was on annual scholarship in
France, playing and performing in the chamber orchestra Ensemble Instrumental Andree Colson and has 35 years of professional artistic career, solo and
ensemble, as well as 20- years of teaching. Grażyna has toured Europe and
Asia, and made a number of recordings as a solist, chamber and orchestral
musician. Currently, she is a teacher and manager of the String Instruments in
ZPSM No 1 ( I and II degree Music High School) teaching students of all levels.
Grażyna always wanted to learn to play chamber music and realised this dream
by playing in numerous chamber orchestras as a solist and concertmaster.
She is also passionate about jazz music, as a result of which she has played for
many years in the piano trio Classic Band Trio which combines jazz with
classical music.
Rubén López Fernández - saxophone teacher
Rubén López Fernández was born in 1988 in Seville. He started to
play the saxophone at the age of 8 and later from 2000 until 2006 he
studied at the Conservatory of Music Cristobal de Morales in Seville.
He has participated in many masterclasses with distinguished saxophone players including Jose Antonio Santos Salas, Alfonso Padilla
López, Miguel Garrido, Jesús Javier Librado, Miguel Romero Morán,
Antonio Torres Zamora. From 2001-2006 he was a saxophonist in
Wind Orchestra The Red Cross in Seville and from 2006-2009 he
was conductor of this orchestra performing concerts in Andalusia and also Portugal.
From 2009-2012 he was a saxophonist in the distinguised Banda de Música del Maestro Tejera and
played a number of concerts throughout Spain with huge repertory from classical music, march’s to
popular music like pasodoble.
Magdalena Lapinska - flute teacher
Magdalena Lapinska is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music
in Warsaw. She has participated in numerous masterclases led by eminent
flutists including Prof.P-LGraf, Prof.B Garner, S.Louvion and
Dr.M Nastasi. Magdalena is the laureate of a number of nationwide and
regional contests including the Nationwide Flute Festival in Sochaczew,
Woodwinds Musical Meetings in Warsaw and the Nationwide Young Instrumentalists Contest in Jaslo. She appears regularly as a soloist and chamber
musician in Poland and abroad and she regularly collaborates with the Polish
Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Rachel Wood- - violin teacher
RNCM’s virtuoso violin weekend.
Rachel has been playing the violin since the age of 5, as a child she
was a member of the National Children’s Orchestra and the National
School for Chamber Music. During this time she was chosen to lead a
quartet at The Royal Academy of Music’s Duke’s Hall, representing the
North of England in a chamber music ensemble. More recently, whilst
working towards her Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Northern
College of Music, she have been a member of the RNCM Symphony,
Opera, Chamber, and Brand New orchestras and in 2010 was invited to
play a Brahms violin sonata in a masterclass with Leland Chen for the
Alternatively to this Rachel has experience in the popular music industry, she has had the opportunity to
play in venues such as Ronnie Scott’s in London. The most recent achievements were writing and recording two songs with famous violinist Nigel Kennedy on his new album ‘The Four Elements’, and performing with Polish band ‘Zakopower’ on their UK tour in 2012. Rachel has experience teaching children of all
ages in both inner city and rural schools.
Paula Lis - French horn teacher
Paula Lis is currently studying at the Music Academy in Krakow with professor
Will Sanders and Tadeusz Tomaszwski’s horn class. She has participated in
multiple horn master classes led by; Jacek Muzyk, Radek Baborak, Feliks Gmitruk, Tadeusz Tomaszewski, Markus Maskunity, Christian-Friedrich Dallmann
and Will Sanders.
She has performed in numerous classical and pop concerts, with such artists
as; Dorota Miśkiewicz, Henryk Miśkiewicz, Dudu Carmel, EPaula is a long term
scholar in the Młoda Polska Filharmonia and has been recently accepted by the
Akademia Symfonia Varsovia.
Anna Kowalik - piano teacher
Ms. Anna Kowalik is a piano and harpsichord player. She graduated from the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw and went on to
study at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. She was also
awarded the Fondation des Treilles scholarship, in France and has received awardes at Festival of Polish Piano Music in Słupsk.
Ms. Kowalik is an experienced and competent piano teacher. She has
completed post-graduate studies in piano pedagogy at the F. Chopin
Academy of Music in Warsaw. She says: “My work at the British School
began in 1999. With my students I put emphasis on mastering good piano technique and developing musical imagination and sensitivity. I successfully employ the Oxford Piano Method for beginners. I prepare
my students for the ABRSM examinations (more than 20 diplomas have been obtained under my guidance).”
Ms. Kowalik is a certified music teacher. She works at the Warsaw Ballet School and at a primary music
school. Her great passion is early music and Renaissance and Baroque dances.
ILINA SAWICKA - harp teacher
Ilina Sawicka is a graduate in Music Education and Harp from the Fryderyk Chopin Music University of Warsaw. Whilst at University she
tutored in voice production, choir conducting, ensamble conducting,
harp, orchestral and chamber music, harp ensemble and solo repertoire.
She has travelled extensively giving concerts, recitals and participated in
many masterclasses. She has performed in numerous recitals including
chamber music, harp ensemble and solo spots in Łańcut Palace and Teatr
Wielki in Warsaw.
and corporate events.
Ilina has made many appearances with student, amateur, semi-professional and professional orchestras nationwide, including choral and
operatic orchestral experience e.g with: Sinfonia Iuventus, Filharmonia
Podlaska, Filharmonia Warmińsko-Mazurska, Unplugged Orchestra (contemporary music, Poland), Zahir (contemporary music, Spain), Keimyung Symphonic Band (South Korea), Polish-Russian Youth Orchestra,
Chamber vocal ensemble of Seville (Spain) and a wide range of functional
musical engagements, including background music, weddings, parties
Ilina’s teaching experience includes being a harp teacher at various private schools in Warsaw, private
tuition on short-term basis for a range of abilities in harp, singing, piano, music theory and aural training
and vocal ensembles for children and choir for adults in the Community Project in Nieporęt.
Marcin Kukieła- guitar teacher
Marcin graduated in 1998 from The Faculty of Jazz and
Classical Music in Warsaw and studied for one year
in Flamenco School. He also took private lessons with
famous guitarists such as Brandon Furman (USA). Apart
from his musical career he also studied Law at Warsaw
University. As a guitarist he has been working as a
sideman with many Polish pop stars and has taken part in
concerts in many places such as Canada, Germany Russia
and Croatia.
Marcin has a wealth of experience having taught children and adult students for 14 years and owning
his own Guitar School in Warsaw. Many of his students are successful, professional musicians. He
teaches both electric and acoustic guitar and can give lessons in rock, blues, classical, jazz and flamenco
genres. He also helps prepare for music school and music academy entrance exams.
During lessons students will learn chord diagrams and how to read both music and guitar tabs. They
will also spend a few minutes on ear training as this is a very important part of being a musician.
Jerzy Sawicki
Jerzy is currently studying for his master’s degree after graduating from
the University of Music specialising in choral conducting. He is studying
singing, baritone, at the J. Elsenra School
with A. K. Drabik. He received a scholarship to the Erasmus course at
the Music Conservatory in Como near Mediolan, Italy. As well as singing
Jerzy also plays the viola, violin, guitar, piano and sometimes the bass.
One of Jerzy’s passions is folk dancing. He is a dancer and singer in
a folk song and dance ensemble at the Warsaw School of Economics.
He is also an actor in the Theatre Łazienki. In his free time he is a
snowboarding instructor and enjoys sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.
PAWEŁ MAZURCZAK - bass guitar teacher
Pawel has been playing the bass guitar since he was 14. He graduated
from the Secondary Music School in Kielce and completed a post-secondary study of jazz in Warsaw. He further developed his skills on the
double-bass under the direction of the famous Polish jazzman, Zbigniew
Wegehaupt and at the same time, he qualified as a music teacher at the
University of Pedagogics.
Pawel plays acoustic bass, electric upright bass and bass guitar. He plays
in many different styles from classical and jazz to salsa, world and pop
music. During his career, he has played and recorded with many artists,
such as: Tadeusz Nalepa, Kora Jackowska (Kora Ola Ola!), Trebunie Tutki, Włodzimierz Kiniorski, Liroy, Sidney Polak, KASA, Blue Cafe, Tytus
Wojnowicz, Marek Biliński, Elżbieta Mielczarek, Jean Luc Ponty, Henryk
Gembalski, Piasek, Antonina Krzysztoń, Rafał Olbrychski, Jan Pietrzak
and Kabaret Moralnego Niepokoju.
For many years he has conducted educational activities as a bass teacher and a band instructor, including
teaching at the music school at the Educational Centre for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Laski. He
also now works with Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa (Warsaw Village Band), Calle sol and Sama Yoon.
If you would like to enrol your child in our Instrumental and Vocal Teaching Programme,
please contact our Head of Music, Mrs Alison Porter [email protected]